My Zombie Summer (Book 1): The Undead Road Read Free Page B

highlight shrouded one of her eyes. Tangled strands covered most of her face. I just stared at her. She had to be about my age. And she was really cute . . . And I had almost shot her in the face.
    “Sorry! I thought you were—”
    Dad knocked on the door, making the dog bark. “Who’s there?”
    The girl hid behind her curtain. “Leave us alone!”
    I lowered my Beretta, relieved to hear the voice of another living person. The thought of having nearly taken her out made my stomach flip. Who was this girl? And more importantly, for how long had she been in the RV? I knew Dad had heard her, but he wasn’t about to break protocol. As a rule, if we found any survivors, we promised to make sure they were okay, but someone still had to stay on the lookout. A Vector could easily sneak up on us and no one could warn us otherwise. As Point Man, handling this was completely up to me.
    “Is someone in there, Jeremy?” Dad asked.
    “Uh, yeah,” I struggled to say. “A girl.”
    “Get lost, kid!” she cried. “Go away!”
    Kid? She called me a kid ? For reals?
    I had a feeling this wouldn’t be easy.
    After the outbreak, when we had driven away from Chicago Land, Mom explained the human condition to Jewel and me—how Vectors may react to deterioration, climate change, and psychological stuff that would affect survivors. The way she described things to us made me wonder if she’d spent her nursing internship inside a morgue. This girl had something else going on.
    “We saw your dog.” My voice cracked a little. “We won’t hurt you.” Nothing happened. I was about to speak again when she withdrew the curtain and glared at me. You’d think people would show a bit more respect for each other at the end of the world. “Are you alone?”
    Her eyes—bluer than any blue I’d ever seen—penetrated me. All I could do was stare back at her.
    “You found someone?” Dad said. “Is she hurt?”
    Mystery Girl turned away, allowing me a glimpse of the side of her clear face and thin cheeks. I checked the opened cabinets again. They were empty. There was no foodstuff in the RV that I could see. I figured it out quickly. Her pale skin gave it away. “You’re starving.”
    With an embarrassed smile, she nodded.
    Damn I’m good.
    “We could use some backup,” I heard Dad say.
    “What’s going on?” Mom replied over the radio.
    “We’ve found a girl. Bring water and jerky.”
    “You found a girl?” Jewel cut in.
    “Copy that, Papa Bear.”
    Before I go on, you should know that I have an awesome family. Although we barely had enough resources ourselves, my folks never hesitated to share. For the time being, I saw no harm in helping this girl.
    Keeping my cool, I pocketed my .45. “I’m Jeremy.” I stepped back and winced at my wimpy name. Jeremy isn’t a swoon-worthy name. “So . . . what’s your name?”
    The girl parted the curtain. She slid out of the overhead and hopped down. She had black gothic jeans, a dark pink tank top and a pair of faded boots—along with black fingerless gloves on her hands. She picked up a baseball bat, which had signs of head-impounding use. I could see her as a baseball player. She had the build for it. I bet she used to be an excellent shortstop. Either way, she was an undead fighting veteran, just like me.
    Her eyes didn’t leave me for a second. “Kaylynn.”
    “That’s different. I mean that in a good way—”
    Her oncoming baseball bat made me stumble back. My voice caught in my throat as the dog joined in with a bark. This girl was quick! I reached for my .45, but before I could grab the handle, she had me pinned, ready to splatter my brains. I closed my eyes, expecting her blow. Nothing happened. I blinked my eyes open. The girl stood over me, and she smiled a smile that I would never forget. “Now we’re even.”
    Given a chance to breathe, I glared back. “Even?!”
    Cute smile or not, I couldn’t let that slide.
    “Go on in,” Dad said. “I’ll keep